Three quarters of us admit to lying on social media

More than three quarters of tech-savvy Brits admit they lie about themselves on social media.

In a survey of 2,000 people 82 per cent said they falsely represented themselves on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

The survey by content marketing agency Custard also revealed that men are more likely than women to be living a lie through social networking sites.

Nearly half (43 per cent) of men polled admitted their profile isn’t an accurate reflection of their lives.

When it comes to lying on social media, 31 per cent of respondents said that their social page is “pretty accurate, just with all the boring bits removed” and 14 per cent said that their profile page makes it look like they have a “much more active social life”.

Custard’s survey also found that Brits on social media are a judgemental lot, with 42 per cent of respondents agreeing that attention seeking statuses, such as gushing about your babies or partners, or giving people cryptic digs, are the most annoying posts on the internet.

Uploading constant selfies came second, with 40 per cent of people irritated by the barrage of posed pictures on their newsfeed.

It also seems that social media is a hotbed for confrontation.

Almost a quarter of Brits (23.5 per cent) have got into an argument over something they’ve posted on social media, popular fight topics being politics, religion and sexism, with the average person involved in eight social networking fights.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) of people admitted getting into trouble over something they’ve posted on social media, with 15 per cent of people stated they’ve gotten into trouble on numerous occasions.

The people most likely to get into trouble with include their parents, their bosses and finally, with their teachers.

Sam Allcock, Managing Director of Custard Online Marketing, commented: “It’s clear to see that as social media grows in popularity, Brits are picking up some bad online habits.

“We all know that sites like Facebook and Twitter are great for keeping in touch with friends and family, but more recently networking sites have become a place to voice your opinion and brag about your social lives.”